Piling mechanism



Jan. 21, 1969 D. MARTIN FILING MECHANISM Sheet Filed June 14, 1966 Jan. 21, 1969 D. MARTIN 3,422,968

FILING MECHANISM Filed June 14. 1966 Sheet 2 of 5 FIG. 2.

Jan. 21, 1969 D. MARTIN 3,422,968

FILING MECHANISM Filed June 14. 1966 Sheet 3 of 5 United States Patent 24,995/ 65 US. Cl. 214-6 8 Claims Int. Cl. B65g 60/00; B65h 29/66 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mechanism for piling elongate articles of the same section, such as metal angle sections, in a neat pile, includes a platform reciprocatable between a position in which a plurality of the sections are positioned thereon in side-byside relation and a position in which the sections are delivered, still in side-by-side relation onto a collecting table. The articles are removed from off of the platform by withdrawing the platform, but preventing withdrawal of the sections. By varying the speed of withdrawal of the platform between successive cycles alternate tiers of the sections piled on the table may be inverted to produce a neat pile of interlocking sections.

This invention relates to piling mechanisms and is particularly concerned with such mechanisms arranged to pile neatly elongate articles of like section, such as angle sections. The invention is directed to enabling such piling to be effected with the minimum of manual handling.

In accordance with one aspect the present invention provides a piling mechanism for elongate articles of like section comprising a platform for supporting the articles, and movable between a receiving position, in which the articles are placed on the platform, and a delivery position, in which the articles are delivered from the platform, a collecting device locatable under the delivery position, and stop means arranged to prevent movement of the articles from moving with the platform from the delivery position to the receiving position so that on such withdrawal of the platforms the articles fall onto the collecting device, the mechanism being operable alternatively in two modes such that if they are used alternately the articles will be piled on the collecting device nested in one another.

In another aspect the invention provides a piling mechanism for elongate articles of like section comprising a platform for supporting the articles and movable between a receiving position in which articles are placed on the platform, and a delivery position in which the articles are delivered from the platform, a collecting device beneath the platform in the delivery position, drive means for moving the platform from between the delivery position and the receiving position, and stop means, adjustable in the direction of movement of the platform, and arranged to allow articles on the platform to move from the receiving position to the delivery position but to prevent reverse movement of the articles.

In a preferred form the invention provides a piling mechanism for elongate articles of like section comprising a platform for supporting the articles, movable between a receiving position in which the articles are placed on the platform, and a delivery position, in which the articles are delivered from the platform, a collectng device located under the delivery position, drive means for moving the platform from the delivery position to the receiving posi- 3,422,968 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 tion at either a relatively high speed or at a relatively low speed, and stop means operative to prevent withdrawal of the articles with the platform from the delivery position to the receiving position so that on such movement of the platform the articles fall onto the collecting device.

When the drive means are operated to cause relatively high speed withdrawal of the platform, the articles are caused to fall without turning, whereas at relatively low speed the articles are caused to turn while falling off the platform. In this way and by alternating between high speed and lower speed withdrawal, the articles received on the collecting device may be nested within one another.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method of piling elongate articles of like section, which comprises alternately casing a first set of articles side-by-side on a platform over a collecting device, withdrawing the platform while preventing the articles from moving parallel to the platform movement so that they fall onto the collecting device in a first formation relative to the platform, and positioning a second set of similar articles side-by-side on the platform over the collecting device and withdrawing the platform so that the second set of articles fall on the collecting device in a second formation relative to the platform in which formation they are nested in the first set.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from the following description of a piling mechanism in accordance therewith, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of part of the piling mechanism and ancillary equipment,

FIGURE 2 is a side view corresponding to that of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 shows on enlarged scale the mechanism for operating the moving platform of FIGURES 1 and 2.

The piling mechanism illustrated in the drawings is intended for piling steel sections which are delivered from the section mill by a roller table indicated generally at 12. Extending across and at right angles to the roller table 12 is a reversible chain or rope conveyor, indicated generally at 13 and consisting of slide bars 14, which are separated by a distance less than the lengths of the sections coming off the mill and which pass between the rolls of the table 12. The top surfaces of the slide bars 14 are at the same height at, or slightly below, the highest surfaces of the rolls of the table 12. The conveyor 13 also consists of a series of dogs, four of which are shown at 15 and which may be similar to those described in the specification of position above the level of the slide bars 14, according to the direction in which it is required to move the sections. The dogs 15 are moved along the slide bars 14 by endless chains or ropes 18 which pass round guide pulleys, one of which is shown at 20 in FIGURE 2, and a drive pulley 21 which can be driven in either sense by a reversible motor (not shown).

At each end of the chain conveyor, there is a piling mechanism, one being shown at 22. This piling mechanism consists of a platform 23 having a pair of forwardly projecting arms 24 which, as shown in FIGURE 3 are inclined upwardly to the level of the guide bars 14. The arms 24 are carried on wheels 25 running between horizontal flanges 26, so that the platform can be driven from the receiving position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 to a forward delivery position, and vice versa, by means of an air cylinder 27 acting through a crank arm 28 and a link 29 pivoted to the platform. The air cylinder is arranged to be operated at a relatively high and a relatively low speed alternatively for withdrawing the platform. The platform 23 also carries a dog 30 biased toward its normal position shown in FIGURE 3 in which it projects above the level of the arms and cannot pivot further clockwise, but which can be moved about its pivot shaft 31 into a retracted position shown in chain line at 32; in this retracted position, the dog 30 lies beneath the level of the arms 24, so that articles can slide over it.

Beneath the delivery position of the platform 23 is a collecting device in the form of a table 33 carried on a screw jack 34 which is driven by a reversible motor not shown in order to raise and lower the table 33 between the full line and chain line positions shown in FIGURE 2. The table 33 has a pair of upstanding ribs 35 which are spaced outside the arms 24. A truck 36 having arms 36A outisde the table 33 can be moved by a hydraulic ram 37 on rails 38 between a position beneath articles on the table 33 in its upper position and a withdrawn position. Rails 38 are located one at either side of the table 33 as viewed in plan in FIGURE 1. In its lowest position the surface of table 33 is below the surface of truck 36. Lastly, a pair of stops 40 which are similar to the dog 30 of the platform 23 so that they allow articles on the platform to slide over them from the receiving position to the delivery position but preventing articles from returning with the platform to the receiving position, is mounted independently of the platform 23 so that, when in operative position, they project above the level of the arms 24. The stops 40 may be adjusted parallel to the direction of movement of the platform 23 by motors 41. The piling mechanism at the other end of the chain conveyor is exactly similar to that illustrated and described.

FIGURE '2 shows the piling mechanism used with angle sections and the operation of the apparatus will be described in relation to those sections. As before mentioned, the dogs 15 remove from the roller table 12 the sections as they come off the rolling mill and these are conveyed, either one at a time or a number at a time onto the arms 24 of the platform 23, the dog 30 pivoting about its pivot 31 to permit passage of the sections. When a first set of sections 42 has been delivered to the platform 23 side-by-side, the table 33 is elevated by the screw jack 34 until the upper surfaces of the ribs 35 lie slightly below the level of the arms 24. Platform 23 is moved forwards by the action of cylinder 27 until it reaches the delivery position over the table 33, the dog 30 ensuring that the sections 42 move with the platform 23. Now, the cylinder 27 is operated to withdraw platform 23 rapidly; during that withdrawal, the sections are held by the stops 40 so that they fall, without turning, onto the table 33.

A second similar set of sections is then delivered to the platform 23, as before, and the table 33 is lowered. The platform 23 is moved to the delivery position and, this time, is withdrawn slowly so that each section 42 falls off the platform in turn and, in falling, turns through 180 so as to become nested in the sections already on table 33, in the manner shown on the truck 36. In successive cycles, withdrawal is effected at high speed and at low speed so that a pile of interlocked sections is formed on table 33. When this pile is the required height, the truck 36 is run under table 33, screw jack 34 is operated to lower the pile of sections onto the arms 36A of truck 36 and the truck is withdrawn. In the withdrawn position, the pile of sections may be removed by crane, the interlocked nature of the pile making this possible.

As two piling mechanisms are supplied, the sections delivered by the table 12 may be fed to one piling mechanism, while the other is transferring the last complement of sections tothe table 35; thus, each piling mechanism operates alternately.

The apparatus described and illustrated may also be used for piling beam sections but in this case there is no slow withdrawal of the platform 23, all withdrawals being at the relatively fast speed. A complement of beams with their flanges vertical is located on the platform 23 which is moved forward over the table 30 and withdrawn rapidly as before to deliver the beams on the table, the stops 40 being in a first position. The stops 40 are then moved forward to a second position and the next complement of beams is delivered to the table, those beams being nested in the first set owing to change in the stop positions. For subsequent sets of beams, the stops 40 are alternatively set in the two positions so that a pile of nested beams is formed.

I claim:

1. A piling mechanism for elongate articles of like section comprising a platform for supporting a plurality of said articles in side-by-side relation and movable sideways between a receiving position in which articles are placed on the platform and a delivery position in which the articles are delivered from the platform,

a collecting device positioned beneath the delivery position of the platform so as to receive articles delivered therefrom, said device being adjustable in height between upper and lower positions so that the articles are deposited thereon in side-by-side relation either on the device or on tiers of articles previously deposited thereon to form a pile,

drive means for moving the platform between its receiving and delivery positions, said means causing the platform to seelctively move from its delivery position to its receiving position at a high speed whereby it causes the articles to maintain their orientation as they are deposited onto the device and at a low speed whereby it causes the articles to tip down and invert as they drop onto the device, and

stop means, arranged to allow articles on the platform to move from the receiving position to the delivery position but to prevent reverse movement of the articles.

2. A piling mechanism according to claim 1 in which the drive means is an air cylinder operable at two different speeds.

3. A piling mechanism according to claim 1 including a truck having a surface at a level between the surface of the collecting device in its upper and lower positions, and movable between a position beneath articles on the collecting device in its upper position and a withdrawn position.

4. A piling mechanism according to claim 1 in which the platform has a pair of arms inclined upwardly towards the delivery position.

5. A piling mechanism according to claim 4 including conveyor means for transferring articles up the arms of the platform.

6. A piling mechanism according to claim 5 including a dog pivotally mounted on the platform so as to allow articles to pass thereover in a direction towards the delivery position but to prevent articles moving in the reverse direction relative to the platform.

7. A piling mechanism for elongate articles as claimed in claim 1 in which said stop means are adjustable in the direction of movement of the platform.

8. A method of piling elongate articles or like sections, which comprises positioning a first set of sections side-by side on a platform at a receiving position, advancing the platform to a delivery position over a collecting device, operating a drive means to rapidly withdraw the platform from said delivery position to said receiving position while engaging the sections by a stop to prevent withdrawal of the sections so that the sections fall without turning onto the collecting device to form tier sections, lowering the collecting device an amount substantially equal to the height of a tier, repeating the operation but operating the drive means to withdraw the platform at a low speed so that the sections are caused to turn while falling one by 5 6 one from the platform onto the collecting device and 3,143,222 8/1964 Caskie 214-6 continuing the operation with alternate cycles of fast and 3,338,431 8/ 1967 Thedick 2146 slow withdrawal, so that a pile of interlocked tiers of articles is formed on the collecting device. GERALD FORLENZA, Examine!- 5 References Cited R. I. SPAR, Assistant Exammer.

UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R.

1,556,695 10/1925 Kronborg 214-6 2,397,720 4/1946 Beane 2146 7 15Z 

